Abu Kiffan is the name of a reef near Safaga in Egypt. In the film we are drowned in sound, time slows down and we are given a closer look at what’s going on. Part two of Holthuis’ series Careless Reef, four films about the world under water.
Internationally renowned chef, Yotam Ottolenghi, returns to his hometown of Jerusalem to discover the hidden treasures of its extraordinarily rich and diverse food culture. He meets and cooks with both Arabs and Jews in restaurants and at home, who draw on hundreds of years of tradition to create the dishes that define the city, and explores the flavours and recipes that have influenced his palate. Much has changed since his childhood in Jerusalem, and politics is never far away, but Yotam finds that food is sometimes the one area where the different communities can come together. From the humble street foods of hummus and falafel, to the cutting edge of Jerusalem cuisine, Yotam uncovers the essence of what makes the food of Jerusalem so great.
This documentary interweaves celluloid and voice recordings by Maya Deren, and colleagues who knew her firsthand: Jean Rouch, Jonas Mekas, Alexander Hammid, Cecile Starr etc. Maya Deren (1917-1961) was an experimental filmmaker. In the 1940s and 1950s she made several influential avant-garde films, such as Meshes of the Afternoon (1943). Images from this and her other work are used in this documentary. You can also hear her voice, as well as accounts by contemporaries such as Jean Rouch and Jonas Mekas.
Leonie’s dream is to become a pig farmer, just like her parents. She wanders happily around the farm, helping out in any way possible. She tends to the pigs, and is present from the fertilisation of the sows to the moment the truck leaves for the slaughterhouse. The family farm teaches her about the circle of life. However, new laws on nitrogen emissions have undermined the economic viability of the farm, and bankruptcy looms. Together with her cat Skeet, Leonie watches the last pigs disappear from the farm, and she realises that her dream of becoming a pig farmer might not come true.
A chronicle of the production problems — including bad weather, actors' health, war near the filming locations, and more — which plagued the filming of Apocalypse Now, increasing costs and nearly destroying the life and career of Francis Ford Coppola.
A small town ice hockey team fights through their first season in an upper division. The players' dreams might have changed from childhood but their love for the sport does not fade.
The documentary explores the world of culture, nature and gastronomy through one chef's eyes across the marshlands of the Venetian Lagoon.
A man is fascinated by the structures and environments surrounding him and willing to break external and internal limitations to approach them.
An encounter from night till morning.
Reflections of Nature is an experimental short film, touching on the relationship man has with mother nature, and how they coexist in this ever changing modern world.
Alex (a young journalist) seeks to quit his job writing tabloid articles and instead pursue a writing career fuelled by his use of LSD on the other side of the world.
18 seniors living in retirement homes get the chance to go on a holiday to Greece. In addition to old age, many suffer from diseases such as dementia, cancer and permanent lung disease, but with the help of their companions and Dimitrios "Tackis" Sahpekidis, they get to realize their dreams. In Greece, they are allowed to eat melon on the beach, dance the zorba, drink retzina on the balcony until late at night and swim in the Mediterranean. The motto is that there are no obstacles and that life should be lived all out, until the end.
Our protagonists are part of these "pastry magicians" who take up the challenge of making, reinventing and transmitting to the whole world the taste of local delicacies. Through their pastries and their stories of passion and challenge, we will meet men and women who are passionate about the pastries of their regions. We will follow these musketeers in their adventures, their setbacks and their joy of living.
The French pastry again on the roof of the world! On January 23rd, France is awarded for the 8th time wins the pastry world cup again, one of the most prestigious international competitions of gastronomy. France thus remains the most successful country to this day. But the conquest of the world of the French pastry does not limit itself to awards. The know-how and the French creative genius are durably exported and spreads over all the regions of the world!
Well before many chefs of his generation, Michel Troisgros hit on culinary practice and culture which today lie at the heart of world gastronomy. Refusing to bend to fashion, his cuisine is unrestrained and personal, bright and cheerful, making the world-renowned Maison Troisgros resolutely modern even four decades after its inception. This tasty yet minimalist cuisine is echoed in Paul Lacoste's meticulous direction, where the handsome lighting and smart photography make the film a pure delicacy.
Dance for All
Doces Relatos
Chet Baker silently wanders through an Antonioniesque landscape in a Felliniesque state of wonderment as his improvised trumpet solos alternate between earnestly offering the obvious and mocking the artiness of the whole affair.
Belgian filmmaker Eric Pauwels' meditation on dream, travel and film.
When facing a path with no future or precedent success, will we ever choose to stay? Cheuk Cheung’s My Way explores the Cantonese Opera tradition of male Dan performers, men who play female roles, against the backdrop of a Hong Kong society increasingly putting less value on art. Although female performers have long been part of the mainstream of Cantonese Opera, the film follows the stories of two young men who are still fascinated by the art of the male Dan, striving to find their own way to carry on the practice. A moving and searching look at the struggle for identity, My Way is a colourful, musical and moving film which offers a unique and highly personal look at perseverance in the face of a changing society.